Don't Assume.

Disregard my blog header layout. It's screwed up and seemed to screw up on it's own. I don't even know what I did and can't fix it because....
#1. I'm really illiterate at this blog stuff.
#2. I don't care.

I'd rather spend time catching up on housework. Sigh. I need my friends Lori or Liza to rescue me... girls?! Anyway...

I just can't help but think that we've gotta stop and do a heart check. Really.
We say we are blessed living in America, and we teach our children to be grateful based on the starving children around the world, but are we? I'll explain in a moment. But first, yesterday Dyson walked up to me (20 minutes after lunch), while I was on the internet, and whined, "Mooom, I’m soooo HUNGRY!” (He was bored). So I showed him this:

"Are you still hungry?" I asked. He turned and walked away without saying a word.

This morning I woke up and read Chapter 5 of "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. Incredible. It's my 2nd round at it, but seems to be speaking louder this time. Not sure why. Jeremy has also read Chan's 2nd book called "Forgotten God" which is on the Holy Spirit. I can't wait to read it.

As I read this specific chapter, I felt the author compliment what it seems God has been opening my eyes too in the past 6 months. And again, I grieved. And what is that?

God wasn't joking when He said, "The road to eternity is narrow."

Chan does not want true believers to doubt their salvation. In the midst of our failed attemps at loving Jesus, His grace covers us. Each of us have lukewarm elements in our life. But the distinction is if you are daily striving and surrendering to move closer to Christ.

Chan talked about how living in America as a Christian really might not be that great of a thing. He titled this chapter, "Serving Leftovers to a Holy God" and talked about how we can't just show up on Sunday and drop a few bucks in the plate and call ourselves Christian. He brought up Revelation 3:15-18, writing "there is no such thing as a lukewarm Christian. We will not see them in heaven."

His conclusion? Jesus' call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing.

Then he talked about the parable of the soils (Matthew 13). Chan wrote about for how years he wanted to know if the person representing the rocky soil is saved, even though he has no root. Chan then wondered about the thorny soil.

He wrote, "I doubt if people even considered these quetions back in Jesus' day! Is this idea of the non-fruit-bearing Christian something that we have concocted in order to make Christianity 'easier'? So we can follow our own course while still calling ourselves followers of Christ? So we can join the Marines, so to speak, without having to do all the work?"

He wrapped it up by writing, "Let's face it. We are willing to make changes in our lives only if it affects our salvation...to me these questions are tragic because they reveal much about the state of our hearts. They demonstrate that our concern is more about going to heaven then loving the King."

Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15)

I couldn't keep this chapter to myself. Many of us have been raised in a church community in which giving your life to Christ was a very simple thing to do and required very little sacrifice or even knowledge of what it really meant. You know the list of “do not drink, smoke, swear, etc….”. But is living absent from the wild party lifestyle what makes you a good Christian? If you look at the only time Jesus talked about judgement day (Matt. 25:31-46), I'd have to say no.

Next to the saving grace of Jesus Christ, it's obedience. But not just obedience by fleeing tempation. It's just as much, if not more, obedience through sacrificing our wants, desires and comforts to carry out His calling for our lives, to reach the lost.

It's more about praying "Lord, if you want me to quit my job today, sell my house, leave my bad influental circle.... Lord, if you want me to relocate, give all my money away, confront this person..... Lord, if you want me to sell my car, go to a different country, tell the Wal-Mart guy about Jesus... Lord, if you want me to end this relationship, be single the rest of my life, get on a budget, stop shopping as therapy....I will.

And then you do. Now THAT is what it means to call youself a Christian.

Jeremy and I recently celebrated our 8 year anniversary. And I am proud to say, this has been the best year of our marriage. It started off looking something like this:

God called me to marry Jeremy. A radical move. Jeremy ran away. From God. From me. But today....

We are happier and healthier than we have ever been (you can see that written all over Dyson.) How did we make it? That daily prayer I just wrote about, I prayed it, even when I didn't mean it. My heart wanted to mean it. So I still prayed it, and God transformed my heart over time.

Marriage. It's an earthly example of what our marriage is to be with God. Through the thick and and thin, regardless of what God asks us to do, we will be faithful and say, "I do."

Jesus said the road is narrow and few will actually find it... and fewer still among those who are rich (that includes us, people). I had to stop and do a heart check. Do you? Like the parable of the sower, don't assume you are the good soil. That might hurt to read, but wounds from a friend can be trusted (Prov. 27:6)